Title

Coming of age with HIV: A testimony of our success and a measure of our readiness for the future

Code

WESY02

Session Type

Symposia Session

Venue

Elicium 2

Date Time

Wednesday 25 July, 11:00 - 12:30

Co-Chairs:

Kate Thomson, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Switzerland
Annette Sohn, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, Thailand

This session will explore the issues of 'coming of age with HIV' for adults, children and adolescents. It will show the projections of the growing numbers of people in different ages who have lived with HIV for one or more decades as a measure of the success of the AIDS response. The session will highlight issues that are emerging of ageing with HIV, and also how the subject provides a unique point to examine how well prepared we are to provide uninterrupted and sustainable HIV-specific and generalized (integrated) care beyond 2030 to a growing population of people living with HIV.

11:00 WESY0201	Welcome and introduction Kate Thomson, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Switzerland Annette Sohn, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, Thailand

11:10 WESY0202	Chronic diseases in children and adolescents on antiretroviral therapy: preparing for what is to come Thanyawee Puthanakit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Thailand	Slides

11:23 WESY0203	Living with HIV, on treatment for life, and growing older: the impact on the body and mind Luis Mendao, Coalition Plus, EATG, GAT, Portugal	Slides

11:36 WESY0204	Caring for Older People with HIV: Challenges and Best Practices Eugenia Siegler, Weill Cornell University, United States	Slides

11:49 WESY0205	Panel discussion: A testimony of our success and a measure of our readiness for the future Loyce Maturu, Africaid Zvandiri, Zimbabwe Sofia Widen, Pharmaccess, Netherlands Thanyawee Puthanakit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, Thailand Luis Mendao, Coalition Plus, EATG, GAT, Portugal Eugenia Siegler, Weill Cornell University, United States

12:04 WESY0206	Q&A

AUTHOR

Raminta Stuikyte

SUMMARY

This session explored emerging issues of 'coming of age with HIV' for adults, children and adolescents - how to address health and non-health needs including comorbidities in different age groups by different specialists, health and other systems, with a central role of PLHIV.

HIGHLIGHTS

HIV is now a chronic disease. Living longer exposes different challenges – physical, mental health, lifestyle issues etc. different for different age groups- that require people-centered, multidisciplinary approach. Pediatric and geriatric (and palliative) care need greater preparedness. Greater complexity and possibly more costly health needs will take sustainable health systems, more “affordable innovation”, more generalists rather HIV care specialists. Moreover, non-health related needs might increase. Biomedicalization of HIV is not sufficient to respond to the needs, more important of which might be not health related but nutrition or housing. The subject brings difficult topics posing ethical dilemmas, questions of quality of dying. Learning and responding will require the unique knowledge and perspective of people living with HIV in different cycles of life.

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT

The growing numbers of people in different ages who have lived with HIV for one or more decades shows success of the AIDS response but also highlights new challenges. The topic presents a unique view how well prepared we are to provide uninterrupted and sustainable HIV-specific and generalized (integrated) care beyond 2030 to a growing population of PLHIV. The discussion missed the topic of palliative care discussions at AIDS2018 and encouraged learning from other fields like cancer.